Manchester City

Chelsea missed out on the first piece of silverware of the season as they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in the sunshine at Wembley on Sunday. Jorginho was handed his competitive debut while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkey were both given a starting berth in attack after a strong pre-season.

Chelsea had to right the wrongs from last week’s performance away at Man United but made things worse with an abysmal showing where they were very lucky to come away with a 1-0 loss against Manchester City. Bernardo Silva’s first-half goal was the difference at the Etihad as the Blues were brushed aside by another textbook Pep Guardiola masterclass.

Chelsea secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday as they kept pace in the race for Champions League football next season. Manchester City kept their incredible run going with a 4-1 thumping of Tottenham, which strengthened the Blues’ grip on third place – but Antonio Conte’s men remain 14 points behind the high-flying Citizens.

Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from defeat to rivals West Ham as they welcome an inconsistent Southampton side to Stamford Bridge. The Blues are 14 points behind Manchester City at the top of the league in what looks to be a mountain to climb to retain their Premier League title but their midweek win over Huddersfield will give Antonio Conte cause for optimism.

Chelsea travel to Huddersfield for the inaugural Premier League meeting between the sides in what promises to be a stern test for Antonio Conte’s men. The Italian has bemoaned his team’s hectic schedule in recent weeks but with European progress now assured and the small matter of two matches against Barcelona to look forward to in the New Year, Chelsea need to focus on their domestic form if they are to maintain any sort of late charge towards regaining their Premier League title.

Chelsea will be looking to keep their superb run of domestic form going as they welcome former boss Rafa Benitez and his Newcastle United side to Stamford Bridge. The Blues have won five and drawn one of their last six Premier League fixtures and need to keep the run going to have any chance of catching Manchester City, who remain 11 points clear at the top of the tree.

Chelsea kept pace in the title race with an ill-tempered 1-0 home win over a resolute Swansea City side. Paul Clement’s side failed to register a shot on target in the whole game and they were camped in their half for lengthy periods of the game, but the Blues finally found a way through to extend their Premier League unbeaten run to six games.

Chelsea host top-of-the-league Manchester City on Saturday in the first Premier League heavyweight encounter of the season. The Blues sit three points behind both Manchester clubs in third place but come into the game following an impressive display against Atletico Madrid in midweek.

Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of the evening kickoff after suffering a broken rib as a result of a car crash in Amsterdam. Eden Hazard is expected to make his first league start of the season after his man-of-the-match performance on Wednesday.

Formation

Antonio Conte is likely to stick with a similar formation to that which served him so well against Atletico. Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing football may leave Chelsea packing their midfield, with Hazard and Alvaro Morata together up front. Chelsea deviated from their usual formation, opting for a 3-5-2 during their trip to Spain, with wide men Pedro and Willian dropped to the bench.

Team Selection

David Luiz is still suspended following a red card against Arsenal so capable deputy Andreas Christensen should line up alongside Ceasar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill as a back three. Marcos Alonso should start once again but there could be question marks over the right wing-back position; we could see an impressive Davide Zappacosta come in to give Victor Moses a rest.

Tiemoue Bakayoko showed real steel in the Champions League by protecting his defence and allowing N’Golo Kante to roam – the most crucial combination for Chelsea to nullify City over 90 minutes. Further forward could see some changes to inject fresh energy; Cesc Fabregas added an extra body to the midfield, but we could well see a change here with the addition of Willian.

The Diego Costa hangover was well and truly shaken off thanks to Morata and Hazard combining fluidly last time out, so they have to start.

Predicted Starting XI

Courtois (GK)

Moses

Christensen

Cahill (c)

Azpilicueta

Alonso

Kante

Bakayoko

Hazard

Willian

Morata

Where the Game Will Be Won or Lost

Man City will want to dominate possession as they visit the champions and Conte might well allow them to have the ball and soak up the pressure. Manchester City have struggled in past years as soon as Aguero is not on the pitch, so he will be a huge loss. Kante and Bakayoko will be looking to set their steely base in midfield. If Chelsea can stifle City – and that’s a big if – Hazard and Morata could be deadly on the counter. Chelsea might look to pack the midfield once again and it will be interesting to see if Pep has a plan B to outwit the wily Chelsea manager.

Match Prediction

With all the talk of the Manchester clubs for the title, Chelsea will want to show that they are still champions – expect a robust display. Both teams have goals from all over the pitch so defensive nouse could be the order of the day, which the Blues have in spades. Could we see one of those brave 1-0 wins for the home team?